United States Private Colleges Ranked by Highest SAT Score

Below is a list of the 783 private colleges in the United States with the highest SAT Score for incoming freshmen. California Institute of Technology leads the list with an average SAT Score of 1555. Alternatively, check out the ACT version of these rankings.

The SAT is a standardized test used by colleges to evaluate applicants. It is not a guarantee of success in college, but it is a strong indicator of academic potential.

List of United States Private Colleges Ranked by Highest SAT Score
College	Average SAT Score
Quinnipiac University Hamden, Connecticut	1235
DePaul University Chicago, Illinois	1235
College of Our Lady of the Elms Chicopee, Massachusetts	1235
Minneapolis College of Art and Design Minneapolis, Minnesota	1235
Siena College Loudonville, New York	1235
Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, Illinois	1230
Drake University Des Moines, Iowa	1230
Adelphi University Garden City, New York	1230
Long Island University Brookville, New York	1230
Franciscan University of Steubenville Steubenville, Ohio	1230
Messiah University Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania	1230
University of Redlands Redlands, California	1228
Berry College Mount Berry, Georgia	1227
Saint Mary's College Notre Dame, Indiana	1227
Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, Ohio	1227
Monmouth University West Long Branch, New Jersey	1225
University of Mary Bismarck, North Dakota	1225
Juniata College Huntingdon, Pennsylvania	1225

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This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: March 15, 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.